Game-board



W. HOFFMAN. I

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GAME BOARD.

(ModeL) No. 519,041. I Pat ented May 1,1894.

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2 Shedts-Sheet '2.

N AD R M M 0 M H G W q d 0 w No. 519,041. Patehted May 1,1894.

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' WIL IAM HOFFMAN, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,041, dated May 1, 1894.

I ApplicationfiledSeptember 12,1893- Serial No. 485,319- (ModeL) To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that'I, WILLIAM HOFFMAN, a resident of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game- Boards; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a puzzle or game and has for its object to provide means for solving or playing the same; and it consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out. I

In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are respectivelya plan and centralsection of a board constructed according to the invention, the section being on line m0c of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are also plans of boards illustrating the improvement.

Referring to Fig. 1, numeral 1 indicates a board; and letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h in dicate lines marked or formed in said board. These lines by preference are arranged in the form of concentric circles in order that the ending of one game shall leave'the markers in position for the beginning of another. 'In said lines, places or stations for markers such as holes l, 2, 3, &c., adapted to receive pins as 9', 10, 11, 12', 13,14', 15 and 16' are provided. These markers or indicators which are not necessarily in the form of pins are equal in number to the lines. The holes, stations or places to receive the marker suitably arranged 'upon imaginary lineswould suffice for the object .of the invention though dis bers are situated and the markers grouped at the commencement of the game will be denominated home. In the drawings the pins are shown in their initial position or at home. l

Several suitable series of numbers might easily be indicated upon a singleboard. But

I have preferred to indicate a single series for each board andI illustrate several boards with appropriate numbers which difier in in: 'tricacy and interest.

Each line or'circle is provided with a number of holes or stations equal to the units in the home number of the particular circle. I Thus the circle or line in which the home number 9 is situated will have nine holes or stations which may be numbered 9 to 1 in succession. The other circles are similarly numbered, the total number of holes in each equaling its home number as stated. The number of the stationsin 'to three lines the first player wouldonly have to understand that if his first move carries his marker to its home thereby exhausting for the purposes of that game one number 8 then thereafter he has only to imitate his opponents move up to the next to thelast move to win. Thus starting. with 8, 8, 8 and the first player exhausting one 8 with his first move, it the second player moves either to 7,

6, 5, 4:, 3 or 2 the first the same to win.

The board may-be made of any desired material and outline and so also the'ma'rkers; and the stations may be variouslyindicated.

The game is played by the aid of said board by two persons. The pins are placed in their initial or home positions as shown in the drawings-and they are moved round about their circles starting from left to right in the direction of the decreasing numbers, and as cards are dealt in whist, until they again arrive at home whence they are not thereafter moved during the pending game. The players move alternately, and each move involves the selection of one marker and the moving of it forward, on its own circle, to'any desired player has simply to do too station to and including thehome station but 1 last move.

an opponent to make the last move home This can be done by a skilled player with entire certainty if he has once in the pending game obtained a winning position. To recognize a winning position and to move without taking any other is the object of the game.

The board shown in Fig. 5 will usually be preferred, as being neither too complex nor too simple a form of this puzzle. The board, Fig. 1, will be too intricate for popular use and boards might be constructed too simple for ordinary use. I

It is desirable to arrange the stations in groups for convenience in selecting any one to receive a marker when moved. To secure a comparatively equal distribution of the numbers of such groups the stations are situated in parallel lines.

'Let it be noted that the simple object of a player is to compel his opponent to make the It in the progress of a game there are but tworemaining possible moves obviouslythe first subsequent player wins, and if but three moves must be made and three only can bemade then the first to play must lose. Skillfuliplaying requires the foreseeing of these final situations and of the moves required to force an adversaryintoa losing position such as'just noted. There are posi- -tions which enable the skillful player to do this with certainty. The home numbers or positions indicated in Figs. 1 :06 inclusive :are losing positions in the sense that the first ,to playican certainly win the game.

To further illustrate the use of the board, let it be assumed that the game has progressed to apoint where the moves of all but three markers have been exhausted and where these three have each but one move remain- :ing. It is obvious that theplayer whose turn it is to move insuch case must lose the game since he can make no move that will compel his opponent to make the final move. Again, let it be assumed that the moves of all but twomarkers have been exhausted and that 1 these have each but two possible moves remaining. Then the first to play must lose the game since he can make no move that willnot obviouslylose him the game on his next following move. The difference in the figures is based upon the differing matherelevant combinations of numbers, and the rules for playing this game might be applied to such boards,but it is the main province of my board to supply for the player positions that are peculiar to the game and, moreover,

an uninteresting game.

those very rare positions that are best adaptedfor its purposes, 1'. e. the positions that produce the best features of thegame, within the limit of the number of numbers employed, and within the limit of the highest of the numbers employed; as where four numbers are employed the highest of which is eight; or where three numbers are employed of which the highest is sixteen.

My invention does not cover haphazard combinations of numbers but only series between any desiredproximate powers of the number 2 and preferably including the highest of said powers, and such series in combination with a separate line for each number each line having stations equal in number to the units of the serial number.

Eachof my boards 1 to (iinclusive, isso designed and constructed that the key move produces themost interesting position in its degree, while it at the same time is the one :move that to the unskilled:playenappears to be the least promising. Thause of any board leads to certain rare positions from which may be obtained all possible phaseslof the game that lie within the limitsof theirnumbers and their highest numbers. For instance, there aremanyfour number positions which have eight as their highestinumber but they all, excepting five,six,-seven and eight, make an incomplete, while most ofthemimake Fora four number problem, eight being the highest of these numbers, five, six,seven, and eightis the very best position from which tostart the game, since its solution involveswall thephases in this degree of intricacy. ThllSzI have discovered and inimy four boards Eigs3 to 6 inclusive, have applied the fact that: the problems five, six, seven 1and eight; eleven, twelve, and sixteen; five, six,seven andeight; and thirteen, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen are the best suited to illustrate the beauties of the game, and for publicuse.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. For playing a game with numbers the herein described board providedwith holes or stations arranged on lines a part of said stations being situated one on each lineinproximity to each other to constitutea home or group of initial-stations eachhaving a distinct number appropriated theretosaid numbers being between proximate powers of the number 2and said single home stations being each one of a series arrangedin said line equaling in number the units of the first named station number in that line, substantially as set forth.

2. For playing a game with numbers the herein described board provided with holes or stations arranged on lines, a part of said stations being situated one on each line in proximity to each other to constitutea home ICC IIC

or group of initial stations each having a distinct number appropriated thereto said numbers being between proximate powers of the number 2 and said single home stations specification in the presence of two subscribbeing each one of a series arranged in said ing witnesses. i line equaling in number the units of the first named station number inthat line and mark- WILLIAM HOFFMAN 5 ers equal in number to the lines, substantially Witnesses: v j

as set forth. BENJ. R. CATLIN,

In testimony whereof I have signed this FRANK D. BLACKISTONE. 

